I spend time every week searching for blogs that I would like to follow. I like blogs where people post at least once a week. I have a wide variety of interests so I look for topics on birds, wildlife, gardening, life experience, art, books, music and posts that provoke thought on variety of topics. I find something that looks interesting and then follow it on my favorites for a while. If I think this would be an interesting blog then I follow it.
My searches are some what scattered. Once I looked at some one's picture beside me and it turned out to be an awesome blog. Jenn ably covers a wide variety of topics on Cottage Country Reflections. She is an expert on grief as she spent time looking after her parents and so had first hand knowledge in the care and loss of loved ones. Jenn is a passionate advocate for fairness , justice and equality so when she gets on her podium on these topics she's got my undivided attention. So I found this blog by blind luck.
Most of the time I comb through lists of followers or blogs people follow. I find many excellent well written blogs but find some of them to be limited to a specific area or topic that is not highly interesting to me. I also follow a number of political bloggers but I haven't put them on my blog list but keep them on my favorites list.
Now what causes me some concern and curiosity is when some good bloggers suddenly disappear. There's a last post and no more. There's no warning that the blog is about to cease. I had a second blog one time and I decided to give it up. I had started the blog when I didn't really understand how blogger worked so wanted to try something else. When I decided to call it quits I wrote a last post and told readers, if there were any, that this was the last post.
Several blogs which have ceased , explained and gave notice that the blog would end. Peter Stewart, from Out of My Multiple Minds was up front with his readers and fully informed us that he was dying. Peter blogged until two days before his death and his daughter posted after his death. It was a most powerful blog and gave me a great deal to think about. Some bloggers have come to the point where they wish to slow down. Teacher Man told us he would see us later. From time to time he still posts.
The people who just plain disappear leave a bit of a hole in my blog world . They've had excellent blogs and then disappear with out warning. I keep hoping that some day they will come back. As time goes on I begin to fear the worst and that the blogger has passed on. I understand that in the real world someone will have much more important things to do at the end of their life than to write a blog. Some people , I'm sure, become incapacitated and are not able to blog and they may not have friends who know about their blog. So these bloggers have just disappeared: Margaret's Ramblings, 70 Plus and Still Kicking, Truthteller and Wren's Nature Note book. I enjoyed reading your posts and miss you.
Bloggers often develop great friendships. The online world can become very meaningful and a rich source of support in daily life. I appreciate the bloggers I follow and value their thoughts and comments made through their blogs.
I have followed a good number of blogs that I looked forward to reading whenever they showed up in my Reader, and they are now gone. I know exactly what you mean, but there are so MANY good blogs out there that I am still overwhelmed when I get behind.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm not the only one who gets behind reading blogs? You're right that there are many good blogs. I still just wonder what the story is when a blog goes dead. I'm sure that for each one there's a different story.
ReplyDeleteWe are having Bellingham weather here. It's rained and rained and rained some more.
I imagine that, in some cases, the bloggers run out of steam, ideas, or time? Hope you are having a good Father's Day!
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that the average age of a blogger is about a year and three months. I've been going for over 8 (two different ones) but let people know why and where I left and went. I think people run out of things to write for others.......me, I do it because I love the interaction and to keep a diary.
ReplyDeleteYour method sounds just like mine! And, I too have been disappointed with people who just stop posting. I know blogging takes lots of persistence, and sometimes one grows weary. I have had to prune a few out of my blogroll and add others so I guess it stays about even.
ReplyDeleteLinda, You're a wealth of information and a history at the same time on bloggers. I have been wondering why your comments don't show up on my blog. I found out that I didn't look far enough in your email where it had a box to check to publish your comments. What a dummie I am?
ReplyDeleteSo welcome to you as a first time commenter even though you have commented before.
Thanks DZ,for visiting Hiawatha House and being a first time commenter.
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to do some cutting as well. I also have some changes to make in my blog as soon as I have some time to do some searching.
I have followed a few that just disappeared, some people delete their blogs..I guess perhaps they wrote something they wish they had not.
ReplyDeleteI had a very good blogging friend that died, I thought she was ill and she hid it well, her daughter kept us in the loop the last few days of her life. I still miss her and she died 18 months ago.
I read too many blogs, I should cut back..I have cut back on my comments...and I get behind too..it is that damn job it keeps me too busy.
We have rain and cold here a fine howdoyoudo for summer:(
Oh Red, me again..maybe they run out of words..I have been at this for a long time for a blogger I began in December of 2007..so I am at three years plus..I enjoy it:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your ideas Far Side. The blog I quit wasn't going the way I intended so I stopped.
ReplyDeleteBlogging does take time and effort. I wish I had more time to read blogs. Some days the blogs I follow only get a very cursory look. It's not fair to the people who put in time to write.
We have been wet and cool for a long time . Yesterday was one of the few days above 20 C (70 F). It's good for me because I don't like heat.